Today marks 35 years of marriage with my very best friend. It's been a wild ride of unspeakable joy! Oh, how I love this man! I wake up to him; I close the day with him and wish that every moment in between could be spent with the one that makes me a little better each day. Each step is a little sweeter, my beloved.

I love this scene from the The Chronicles of Narnia. Do you remember it?

“A circle of grass, smooth as a lawn, met her eyes, with dark trees dancing all around it. And then-oh joy! For he was there, the huge Lion, shining white in the moonlight, with his huge black shadow underneath him. But for the movement of his tail he might have been a stone lion, but Lucy never thought of that. She never stopped to think whether he was a friendly lion or not. She rushed to him. She felt her heart would burst if she lost a moment. And the next thing she knew was that she was kissing him and putting her arms as far around his neck as she could and burying her face in the beautiful rich silkiness of his mane.
“Aslan, Aslan. Dear Aslan,“ sobbed Lucy “At last.”
The great beast rolled over on his side so that Lucy fell half sitting and half lying between his front paws. He bent forward and just touched her nose with his tongue. His warm breath came all around her. She gazed up into the large wise face.
“Welcome, child,” he said.
“Aslan,” said Lucy, “you’re bigger.”
“That is because you are older, little one, “ answered he.
“Not because you are?”
“I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.”

So as one year of Bible study ends and another begins, do you find Him bigger?

I must remember

crossbeam tearing wounded flesh

hammer striking iron

shrieks of unfathomable pain

drops of redemption blood

wincing with each agonizing breath

trembling limbs stretched

startled eyes searching the heavens

haunting thoughts of abandonment and betrayal

uncontrollable sobs from a grieving mother

jeers from a lost crowd

repentant cries from a thief

merciful eyes forgiving humanity 

pierced for our rebellion

crushed for our sins 

 man of sorrows 

acquainted with deepest grief

He was beaten so we could be whole.

He was whipped so we could be healed.

Isaiah 53:4-5

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,

so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness;

by his wounds you have been healed. I Peter 2:24

                                        

Exposed

Laid wide open like a butterfly pinned to board.

Shame blushes...Every dirty pore, every weak fiber, even the sacred places...

Exposed

Fears, dreams, words

Placed on the auction block.

Exposed

No place to cower, no chance for retrieval.

I grasp for cover and Jesus tenderly offers

Annual heart checkup

It's that time of year when I see my heart specialist. I have "hiccups" in my heart rhythm, so he runs a yearly EKG and re-evaluates my medicines. Oh yeah...I have to step on the scales as well and I usually get "fussed at"! I always feel exposed during this visit. The EKG doesn't lie, telling my doctor and me if my heart is in sync; the scales rat out my secret snack attacks.


I do like the timing of this visit, though, as it falls close to Easter, reminding me to visit with God about my spiritual heart condition. Exposing the ugly places of my sinful heart is uncomfortable, but necessary for my journey with God. Would you join me in doing some serious reflection during these last few weeks leading up to the greatest celebration in history?

Consider taking a few minutes each day to ask yourself these questions:

Is my heart divided between God and other things?

Do I love Him with wholehearted devotion?

Is my heart in rhythm with the things God loves?

Does my heart skip a beat when I think about worldly things?

Are there any heart conditions in which I need God's healing, like pride, selfishness, dishonesty, ingratitude?

Is there something I need to fast from during this Lenten season in order to make my heart healthy?

Proverbs 4:23 reminds us that we have to guard our hearts at all cost.

Let's get heart healthy together!

The Messiah has made things up between us so that we're now together on this, non-Jewish outsiders and Jewish insiders. He tore down the wall we used to keep each other at a distance. Ephesians 2:14. Msg.

Walls! Easier to build than to tear down. The apostle Paul encouraged Jews and Gentiles to finish the demolition process that Christ on the cross had begun. His shed blood formed the foundation for the two groups to unite and grow as one Church.

Walls! We all keep one around our hearts. Don't let anyone in...don't become vulnerable and show our hurts, mistakes, weakness. We keep adding bricks each time we feel pain or embarrassment.

Walls! Easier to tear down the ones that separate groups and differences than to let down the personal barrier that guards us from possible exposure. Shouldn't that be the first wall to fall?

"I can't believe she just said that to me!" "She calls herself a Christian and acts like that?"
Yep, it's true; friends on the inside of the church can be just as irritating as those on the outside.
Sometimes, they make us want to run away from the whole Sunday thing!
But then I can't help think how much Christ loved His church, warts and all. He must have for crying out loud; He went and died for her. Check out Ephesians 5:25-27 for yourself. Jesus deeply cared for His followers and He knew it would be a lifelong process of learning how to trust and obey Him before they looked even close to His image.
Look at Paul, one of the greatest teachers in the New Testament church. He knew he had not reached perfection. So how much do you look like the God who died for you? I know I have a long way to go! But Jesus still adores me, even when I fall short of His great desires for me.
I guess I'll stick close to this crazy group that calls itself "Christians" and begin to forgive some of the same behavior I'm guilty of displaying. If it's good enough for Christ, than it's good enough for me.